Window smashed, purse worth $7K stolen from Main St. parking area

TRAVELERS REST, S.C. – A car window was smashed and a purse valued at $7,000 was recently stolen from a vehicle parked in a Main Street parking area used by patrons of the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail.

The break-in happened on June 26 between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. in the Travelers Rest United Methodist Church parking lot, located at 19 S. Main St.

According to the incident report, the Louis Vuitton purse was left on the back seat of the vehicle and the rear passenger window was shattered to get to it.

“We encourage everyone to not leave valuables in sight in a parked vehicle,” said Travelers Rest Police Chief Lance Crowe. “Even better than hiding the items within your car, take them with you or leave them at home.”

Crowe added that thefts like this one take only a few seconds, and the more difficult you can make it for the thief, the higher the likelihood he or she will simply move on.

Witnesses in the area at the time the June 26 break-in occurred told responding officers that three black females in their teens were seen peering into vehicles around the time of the incident.

Contents of the stolen purse included attachments valued at $1,200, credit cards and a checkbook, according to the report.

Police said a cell phone not belonging to the victim was found on the ground underneath the glass debris. Following the issuance of a search warrant, the device is to be examined by the Greenville County Sheriff's Office forensic lab, the report said.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Travelers Rest Police Dept. at 864-834-9029.